Hollow Laughter
by MissingMommy
Summary: "Cedrella chose her path and Charis couldn't sway her." :: Or what happens to Charis after Cedrella abandons her family.


For QL round 11. I'm the Harpies Captain. I played around with the psychological aspect of horror. So many thanks to Amber, Bex, and Jas for looking over this for me.

For Gobblestones. Brown stone - fear. Accuracy: horror, Power: "You're dead to me," Technique: chestnut brown.

For Around the World in 31 Days. China - Charis Black.

For reference, Charis marries into the Crouch family and is the mother or grandmother of Barty Crouch Sr. Cedrella marries Septimus Weasley and is the mother of Arthur Weasley.

* * *

"Don't do this, Cedrella," Charis says. She wants to beg, to plead, to convince her sister to reconsider, but she's a Black and they don't beg or plead. "Don't leave."

She's standing in the doorway of her sister's room, her dressing gown pulled closely to keep the cold at bay. She watches as her sister shuts the trunk and turns to face her.

Cedrella crosses the room in a few short steps. Her long chestnut hair sways behind her and her eyes are glimmering with hope. She reaches out for Charis but thinks better of it, dropping her arms to her sides.

"You've heard father. He won't change his mind and neither will I," she says. "I love Septimus, and I will marry him."

"Love isn't necessary for marriage," Charis reminds her sister. They've been disabused of that notion since they were children.

Cedrella laughs. It's hollow, like when she used to laugh with her betrothed before she ended it to be with someone else. "You haven't fallen in love. When you do, you'll realize that everything is much better with love."

"You'll betray your family for one man," Charis says harshly. "I don't see how that is better."

Her sister shakes her head sadly. "You don't understand love or you would know marrying someone for duty is a betrayal of love. I can't and I won't give up Septimus."

Charis grimaces at the name of the man her sister would abandon them for. "Leave then," she sneers. "But know, if you do, you're no sister of mine. My sister would never desert her family like this."

"You don't mean that, Charis. I know you don't," Cedrella whispers. Her eyes begin to water but no tears fall.

She turns away from her sister. "I do. Leave and you're dead to me."

"I thought, out of everyone, you would stand next to me," Cedrella whispers, her voice quivering. "I guess I was wrong."

Charis doesn't reply. She exits Cedrella's room without looking back. She enters her room and moves to look out the window. From here, she can see the entire street. It's blanketed in fresh snow.

She watches as Cedrella walks down the street, her trunk behind her. Her heart aches with every step that her sister takes. She wishes, more than anything, that they could just go back to when they were little, playing in the snow with little care, instead of watching her sister walk away from family— from her. But Cedrella chose her path and Charis couldn't sway her.

* * *

As Charis lays down the next night, her door swings open. She doesn't see anyone in the doorway.

Frowning, she shuts the door again. She's just about comfortable when the door swings open again. When she gets up this time, she hears hollow laughter.

She knows that laughter anywhere. Her blood runs cold.

"You're not welcome here, Cedrella." Her sister's name tastes bitter on her tongue.

She waits a few minutes to shut her door. She climbs back into her bed, but as she shuts her eyes, she hears that laughter again. There's something about it that makes Charis' heart race.

She doesn't sleep that night. Her blanket is wrapped around her shoulders, her eyes fixed on her closed door the entire night.

* * *

Charis returns to Hogwarts less than a fortnight later. She feels exhaustion down to her bones. She's spent every night since Cedrella left curled in her bed as she hears her sister's hollow laughter. Everything was going to be fine at Hogwarts, she tells herself. Her sister couldn't get to her there.

She's walking back to the castle from class with Velia Burke, snow crunches under her shoes as they walk, when she hears the laughter. She stops, glancing around to pinpoint where it's coming from. Velia takes a couple of steps before she realizes that Charis isn't next to her.

Velia fixes her dark eyes on Charis. She looks so much like her mother, Charis' aunt Belvina, as she stands there, demanding answers. "What are you standing there for?"

Charis sees a flash of chestnut brown out the corner of her eye. Cedrella stands there, her hair tangled, laughing at Charis. When she notices Charis staring, she meets her eyes, glaring.

"There." Charis points towards her sister. "Cedrella is there."

Velia looks behind her. Her eyebrow is raised as she looks back at Charis. "There's nothing there!"

"But -"

"But nothing," her friend cuts across firmly. "Now let's get out of this cold. I wish it was spring already."

* * *

Charis hears that hollow laugh. She can't keep the fear from coursing through her veins. Her chest contracts as her pulse quickens. She's frozen in place on the top of the stairs to the Owlery, clenching her letter in her hand.

"Not again," she whispers desperately. "Please not again."

The hollow laugh gets closer. She's shaking, her eyes darting back and forth, looking for her sister.

Between one blink and the next, Cedrella appears in front of her. Her chestnut hair is tangled, her dress is torn, and she's wearing a cruel smile. "What is it, little sister?"

"Go away!" Charis yells, her voice trembling.

Cedrella takes a step towards her. Charis moves backward, instinctively moving away from her. Cedrella laughs hollowly.

"Blacks don't get scared," she mocks. "Are you really a Black?"

Before Charis can reply, Cedrella puts both hands on her shoulders.

"Careful. Don't want you to fall," she says. Then her eyes gleam. "Or do I? After all, you're not dead to me. Yet."

Then she feels her sister use her hands as leverage to push her.

"No!" Charis shouts.

She has nothing to hold on to. She's falling. There's nothing to stop her. A scream rips out of her throat.

"Charis!" someone calls. "Charis! What are you screaming about?"

She snaps her eyes open. She doesn't remember when she shut them. Her heart rate drops when she realizes that she's standing at the top of the staircase, exactly where she was.

"Charis, answer me," Velia demands. Her hands are on her hips, her lips turned down in a frown.

Tears cling to her lashes as she looks at her friend. She glances around quickly. "Cedrella. She was here!"

Velia's purses her lips together. "Knock it off. It wasn't funny the first few times you pulled this. Your si- Cedrella is gone. She left."

Charis unclenches her fist, letting the letter fall onto the snow. She flees as quickly as she can.

Cedrella wants her dead. She must've casted a spell on her when her back was turned. Whatever the cause, Charis knows it to be a fact. She doesn't understand how Velia doesn't realize this.

* * *

Charis sits up, gasping, curling her hands in her blankets. She rubs at the tear streaks down her face as she glances around her dormitory. She has difficulty seeing in the low green light, but she can see her fellow Slytherins in their beds.

She lays down, pulling her blanket up, and closing her eyes. She tries to push the memory of her last conversation with Cedrella out of her mind.

Charis is just about asleep when she feels a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes snap open as she rolls over. No one is there.

Her heart hammers in her chest as she turns back over. She takes a deep, shaky breath to try to calm herself, trying to make herself believe it was just her imagination.

The hand returns to her shoulder; it's a cold solid weight. She jerks herself away from it, sitting up in her bed with her blanket pooling in her lap. Hollow laughter sounds in the silent room. "No," she chokes out.

Charis body is shaking painfully when she sees Cedrella sitting in front of her. Cedrella smiles at her cruelly when she notices Charis' trembling.

"Oh, little sister, are you afraid of me?" she asks.

Charis doesn't have time to answer before Cedrella's hand is covering her nose and mouth. She struggles in her sister's hold, but Cedrella's grip is firm. Her eyes widen as she realizes that she can't get away. Fear courses through her body.

Her lungs burn as Cedrella holds her hand over Charis' face. Then, as quickly as she appeared, Cedrella is gone. Charis is gasping for breath when she hears hollow laughter again.

"No!" Charis cries. "Leave me alone!"

Cedrella appears in front of her again. "I could do anything to you, and you can't do anything about it."

Cedrella moves to cover her mouth again, but Charis is able to move away. This doesn't defer her sister, however. She moves toward Charis again. The two of them struggle on her bed for several minutes, but Charis is quickly losing strength.

There's a hand over her mouth once more. Charis claws at it, her heart racing. She manages to pull it away. "No! Let me go!"

"Charis," Cedrella says. There's something off about her voice this time, but Charis ignores it.

She doesn't stop. She struggles against her sister's grip, screaming. Then everything is gone.

Charis blinks. Her sister isn't sitting on top of her. Velia is looming over her, concern written clearly on her face. Her fellow sixth years are staring at her in confusion.

Velia turns to them and says, "It's just a nightmare. I'm sure Charis will give her apologies in the morning. For now, go back to bed."

The other four girls follow the instructions, shooting them questioning looks before climbing back in their beds. Velia pulls the curtains around Charis' bed and casts a silencing spell.

Only then does she speak to Charis. "Are you alright?"

Charis wipes at the fresh tear streaks, nodding. "I'm fine. Sorry I woke you."

"Okay. Get some rest," Velia says. "And remember to use a silencing charm in the future."

Velia leaves her alone in her bed. Her heartbeat has slowed down significantly. She draws her blanket up her chilled body and tries to lay down again.

She's just about asleep when she hears the hollow laughter ring out. She doesn't sleep that night.

* * *

Charis sits near the lake. Her homework is spread out around her. The wind blows occasionally, ruffling her parchment, but it's not enough to bother her very much. These days are her favorite; winter is changing into spring, bringing warmer weather and less snow.

She stands to start gathering her things when she sees a flash of chestnut brown. Fear claws its way up her throat, but before she can do anything, hands are on her shoulders.

"No! Let go, Cedrella!" she cries out, struggling against the hold. "Let go!"

"Charis," Cedrella says. "My, the things I can do to you. Fancy a swim in the lake."

Her eyes widen. The fear is overwhelming now. She doesn't know how to swim, never had a reason to learn. She struggles desperately in Cedrella's grip. She feels tears falling down her face as she pleads. "No! Please, Cedrella. Let go! Let go! Let go!"

She digs her feet into the ground as Cedrella tries to push her into the lake.

"Charis! Cedrella isn't here. It's me. It's Velia."

"No! Let go, Cedrella. Please!" she cries, not believing the words.

"Cedrella isn't here. She isn't here. She isn't; I promise, Charis."

She blinks through the tears, seeing Cedrella fade, leaving only Velia. Her blonde hair is pulled up and she's wearing a concerned look on her face. Her hands are on Charis' shoulders, holding her still.

She isn't Cedrella.

Charis stops fighting. "Where is she?" she chokes out, looking around. "Where is Cedrella?"

"She wasn't here," Velia replies confused.

Collapsing, Charis sobs. Velia doesn't speak as she sits next to Charis, stroking her dark hair comfortingly. She almost relaxes when she sees a flash of chestnut brown again.


End file.
